Silver Skies
by Egg Emperor
Summary: Dante and Nero met on the isle of Fortuna. Years have passed the two are now lovers, living out of DMC, in Capulet City. They are Devil hunters, but for the last 14 years they had another job, that of Parents. Caelum Sparda, their son born of their souls and a dark spell, struggles to prove to his fathers that he is a hunter just like them, despite his young age & naive world view.
1. Legacies, Teens and Bullets, O' My!

**Okay here we go I've decided to get this out of the way in the beginning, so before we get on to the fun stuff we need.**

**DISCLAIMERS: READ IT !**

**O yeah! For starters I own nothing including but not limited to the characters and the lore of the Devil May Cry Series. I would say that I own the OC's and the scenario but I doubt that will hold water in court so yeah I own nothing here.**

**Secondly this story contains a couple in a committed and loving same-sex relationship, that is to say a Male/Male couple, a homosexual/gay/yaoi couple. Get it? Got it? GOOD! I don't want any complaints that I didn't give fair warning. **

**So if you feel threatened or sickened or whatever then leave. It's not good for you here and frankly I don't want to offend you if I can help it so skedaddle. (Dang my Texan is showing)**

**The couple is not the **_**Main**_** focus of the story but they play a titanic role in it none the less. **

**THERE WILL BE NO SEX! Got it no Lemon (At least I'm not going to write one, because frankly I don't have neither the balls nor the will to do so)**

**This story is rated M for Mature. It contains Mature themes: Death, Blood and Gore, Suggestive themes, possible mentions of Drug use and Alcohol and REALLY, REALLY FOUL LANGUAGE. I could go on. If I had a son or daughter they'd have to be at least 17 before I'd knowingly allow them to read this.**

_**This story is dedicated to my friend Kat a rabid yaoi fan girl, who if I know her is starting Heaven's first yaoi fanclub if there isn't one already.**_

_***NOTE: This is important if you don't want to get lost. In this story when Cael refers to his Father and his Dad he's referring to two different people. Based his relationship with his parents, he uses the more formal Father with the stricter Nero and the more informal Dad with the more easy-going Dante.**_

**Silver Skies **

**A Devil May Cry Fanfic **

By Egg Emperor

**Chapter 1:**

_**Legacies, Teens and Bullets O' My!**_

_-Why O' Why?_

_Cries the little bird with the broken wing._

_Why O' Why; does he sing,_

_Can't I fly?_

_Up higher than high,_

_Into Heaven's Silver Skies. –_

_After a successive series of events of supernatural origin that devastated it nearly 3 and a half decades prior – namely the appearance of the demonic tower and the gateway to hell that was opened inside it. Capulet city had recovered and nay flourished as a metropolis in a new and modern world. Much like Hiroshima did after the nuclear blast that had destroyed it at the close of the Second World War._

_The events at the tower of Temen-ni-gru, did have a lasting effect on the world, though overall this was – unbelievable as it may be – a mostly positive one. The ancient methods and materials with which the tower was constructed, provided the means and impetus to forge a technological revolution in the world. One that saw skyscrapers reach the mile mark as well as the advent of new communications and transportation technologies, flying cars and hover-boards, all this the earthly boon of Hell's misfortune. Most had by this point forgotten or ignored the source of the grand wonders that sprung across the globe at an ever increasing pace. And those that did remember mostly thought along the lines that humanity had won and that the devils had no stake in what they had lost three decades ago, by the hand of the son of their greatest traitor and humanities silent savior. To the victor go the spoils, right?_

_Still unknown to world, the battle raged on. A skirmish here and there; but nothing that ever captured the public eye to great effect. And thus most simply shrugged and wrote off the demon attacks as an unfortunate, rare and natural part of everyday life. Even as every day that same son of the traitor, the same white haired hunter and now his partner and lover, risk life and limb to keep it that way, to ensure that the darkness is always filled with light._

_And now we turn to the city streets where another fighter is about to enter the fray, unfortunately for this young white haired youth, this is the start to a very bad day._

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**October 30****th**** 2024 Capulet City, 2:22 PM**

**Somewhere in the sky lanes above 6****th**** Street:**

6th street was busy as usual, the 5 sky-lanes and the street below were filled with all manner of moving vehicles. From cars carrying shoppers, busses ferrying commuters and trucks hauling cargo. They moved like bugs against the huge skyscrapers of the city, towering monoliths of glass and steel that gleamed in the afternoon sun.

In the lower lane, just forty feet above the street many large trucks darted back and forth, carrying anything from furniture to produce. It was in an inconspicuous and plain white truck zooming southbound on sixth towards the main highway out of town; that a large and heavy metal crate could be found.

And inside that crate was a very pissed off 14 year old, who's current mutterings could make a sailor blush.

The young man was of average height and weight and had a lanky build, his muscles – visible through the skin tight black shirt he wore – though defined for his age were just beginning to grow larger at the onset of puberty, his voice now cracking constantly to his chagrin. Matching his shirt were a tight pair of black jeans. And over it all he wore a heavy black leather coat with silver accents lining the seams and cuffs.

Thought the most remarkable thing about the boy was not his strange attire but his silvery-white hair which while short in the back swept down over his left eye ending in the middle of his cheek and his glacier blue eyes, which were currently narrowed in rage.

"What the FUCK!" the young man screamed, slamming his military grade boots against the walls of his prison, in a futile attempt to break out of the 2 inch plate steel box.

"How … those fucking bastards, when I get out of here… I'll kill them, I'll chop off their balls and make them choke on them." The platinum haired youth ranted.

"Ow… Shit fuck!", this last utterance was exclaimed as he realized that last kick had broken several bones in his foot.

Calming down somewhat while grimacing through the pain of both the broken foot and the agony of his half-demon blood beginning to rapidly heal the damage. The now revealed half-demon began to contemplate just how he got in his current situation.

He remembered waking up early, before his Father*, being up earlier than his Dad*was never a problem. And that, after years of chickening out he had snuck the request from his Dad's desk and skipped school. Not that he didn't do the latter quite often as it was; his Father would pissed if he knew just how often. Dad probably wouldn't really care.

The white haired youth sighed, he never really understood why his father insisted he go to school. His Dad was ambivalent at best but he sided with Nero just the same.

He was a half-demon for God's sake just like his parents. And just like his parents he was going to be a demon hunter. It was a forgone conclusion from the moment he was born and it was a conclusion he liked. Nothing better than hunting demons to get the blood pumping and to make both his halves feel completely alive.

High school drove his human self crazy, with its cliques and circles and just the general uselessness of it all. And by the time he got outside after the day was done his demonic instincts were screaming for him to just kill something if for nothing else, than to alleviate the monotony of the past eight hours.

Sure he could graduate and go to a good college and become an accountant for the remaining three thousand years or so of his lifespan. Or how ever the fuck long half-demons lived.

As far as he knew he and his parents were the only half-demons alive and his grandfather was about the only demon, crazy enough or romantic enough to get with a human so who knows how long he was going to be alive.

All he knew was he sure as hell wasn't going to spend his centuries slowly dying of boredom.

Now more importantly back to the problem at hand. He had taken the job and headed to the Cooper square fountain on River and 4th.

In the back of his mind he kept wondering, why the fuck did the city kept rebuilding the thing after each time his parents wrecked it? One it was a disturbing mess depicting tortured human bodies writhing in agony, chiseled out of black stone. Secondly and more importantly the damn thing was a demonic object, turning its water into blood from which…

"Those ass licking, ball sucking, annoying as shit blood birds kept being born!" he grumbled in memory over their neigh endless onslaught.

He kept cutting the things and they'd just split into two. Or worse explode and multiply by even larger numbers. He finally realized that by shooting them, they solidified and then a good smashing took care of it. Or in one case using one as a stone club to bludgeon the others to death.

Then right after an exhausting and aggravating three hours, most of which was spent chasing a single survivor across half the city he returned for his payment.

Only to be zapped in the neck with a stun-gun by what looked like a cross between the inquisition and a fanatic cult. As he passed out he heard muttered voices yacking on about some savior and the Son of Sparda.

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" the ultra-blond intoned in a fake nasally accent, following it with a mirthless laugh.

The entrapped youth sighed something that was becoming a frequent sound for him as of late.

God damn it he thought, if he was going to be kidnapped by some freaky cult then the least they could do is get right.

He was the Grandson of Sparda not the Son! He snorted indignantly. Kicking out with his uninjured leg against the steel in frustration. Only to be rewarded with a stubbed toe and a reason to let loose another loud Fuck.

As for the problem of getting out of the box he was currently trapped in. His parents could do this easily but they were full grown men, well half-demons. He had realized by now that even with his demonic enhancements he simply did not have the raw strength required to break open the box. Which now required him to be more, creative.

He moved his lithe frame and scrunched himself, braced against the back end of the crate as far as possible, careful not to crush or bend his silver hoverboard, which was jammed in with him. The mirror like piece of metal and tech was his pride and joy or one of them anyway and was a prized possession. One that he did not intend on damaging if he could help it.

Speaking of prized possessions he yanked out his gun from the holster on his belt. He wished he could admire it, but it was impossible to view his baby in the darkness of the crate. He was happy the idiots forgot to even search him for a weapon, a big mistake on their part the young man mused.

And what a weapon it was, Eclipse was a work of art. A specially modified matte black desert eagle with the symbol of the superimposed moon and sun and its name etched in silver in the surface.

He bought the gun from a guy who didn't care who he sold to when he was 12 and he spent the last two years modifying and refurbishing it with bit's and pieces around his parents shop. Covertly of course, even Dante, his rather laid back Dad would blanch at the idea of his 12 year old possessing a firearm.

Thank God or whatever the Hell was up there, that his parents weren't the kind to search their child's room at random; because this was his way out.

"Well here goes nothing!" the teen gave a cocky smile as he griped his gun in both hands and began to concentrate on that demonic power that existed within him.

Suddenly the steel box was filled with light as swirling and sparking silver white energy began to gather at the tip of the gun, flowing into it from deep inside the white haired young man whose eyes were now a bright red.

The young man braced himself and pulled the trigger…

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**October 30****th**** 2024 Capulet City, 2:57 PM**

**Somewhere in the sky lanes above 6****th**** Street:**

An earsplitting crack rang out over the City of Capulet as the back end of a white float hauler violently exploded forty feet in the air. The thunderous blast struck with the force of ten thousand thunder claps and shattered nearly every window on the first several floors of the adjacent buildings.

Cars in all lanes and the street swerved and collided turning mere havoc into mayhem and finally pure pandemonium.

Then from out of the smoke of the now crashing float truck, shot a young white haired man riding a silver hover board. He turned around back on the board looking toward the falling vehicle as he zoomed away. His right hand in the air flipped the bird to the occupants of the truck while his left grabbed his crotch.

He then yelled out over the din of the panic.

"Suck on this, ya Fuckers!"

Unfortunately for the young man, while he was committing his rather vulgar display he wasn't looking where he was going and failed to notice he was quickly reaching the end of the block. He turned around only just in time to see the rapidly approaching skyscraper and utter a curt.

"O' Shi.."

Before he crashed straight through the glass vista of the building's upper atrium, a building better known as Capulet City 1 P. P.

It was now official, Caelum Credo Sparda was having a Very Bad Day.

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**October 30****th**** 2024 Capulet City, 3:01 PM**

**Capulet City, One Police Plaza:**

Lt. Victoria Wilkins had seen a lot in her short 8 year tenure as a police officer, more than most officers her age, after all this was Capulet the world capital of the strange and weird.

The City's unofficial slogan, which the mayor did everything to discourage, was "If it's demonic, we've got it!"

But nevertheless color her surprised when a bomb goes off down the street, then followed less than a minute later by a snow haired teen crashing through the vestibule of the glass ceiling vault, showering the bullpen with glass and then landing on her desk unconscious.

Her musings were interrupted not a moment later when said snow haired boy groaned and opened his eyes which were at first rather unfocused.

What happen next was perhaps the weirdest five minutes of her life.

The boy then spoke. He was seemly still groggy from his ordeal but that only perhaps made his words all the more shocking.

"Did I just die or are you just one the most beautiful girls in the world?"

Victoria's mouth dropped open as the young man tried to get up; failing he laid his back down and turned his head toward her.

"Hey babe, if you ever get tired of looking at these donut munchers and would like some company, look me up sometime." He then pulled out a blank card with a phone number scrawled across it, from inside his coat.

She looked at it dumbly and then back at the boy.

Was this kid, who by the looks of him couldn't be more than half her age… hitting on her?

Her mind simply couldn't process the level of … who knows what that would allow something like that to pass his lips, even if he was concussed.

It was unfortunately, for the boy at least, that a large and rotund man with gray and balding hair, wearing a black suit and a gold police shield on his front pocket came into the room.

It was clear he heard the young man's latest utterance. And he was not pleased.

"Victoria!" he spoke in a deep voice.

The young man on the table turned his head back up to view the new arrival.

"Woah! Big Man!" the boy interjected with a smirk, he then turned his head back to the lieutenant.

"I was just joking about the whole donuts thing, it's not really **that** true." He then inclined again toward the large man.

By this time a crowd of officers had gathered.

"But man oh, man dude you're really not helping the stereotype there Mr. Luggs"

At this point the large gentleman's face had turned ruddy with anger and was working itself toward a nice port color. He was shaking with rage.

"Daddy?" Lt. Wilkins asked, at this point fearing for her father's blood pressure.

"Daddy?" the snow haired man parroted, confusion not concern in his voice, before his eyes grew large and realization stuck him like a hammer

"Daddy! … O' um…" He stuttered getting himself up into a sitting position.

"Um… you have a very beautiful daughter sir. Heheh" the boy laughed nervously.

The red in the man's face only seemed to become deeper at his words, his breathing labored.

"Well I'm sorry to drop and run but I have somewhere I really need to be." The youth voiced nervously, looking around for his board.

When he found it with his eyes, laying no more than seven or so feet away, he dashed to his feet surprising all that were present with his swift and unhindered movements.

He hopped on the board and activated it, making sure it was still working before rising into the air and jetting off through the atrium and lobby of the building and out the front door, nearly clipping three officers in the head on his way out.

The man who was now a very unhealthy shade of peruse, his small gray eyes black with anger, was shaking like a leaf in the storm.

One brave officer stepped forward and asked "Commissioner Wilkins, Sir, what would you like us to do?"

There was a tense moment of silence as the Commissioner took a deep breath, a few unexperienced officers began to sigh, un-aware that this was the calm before the storm.

The fat man exploded much like the weapon he shared his epitaph with, his face turning a violent purple.

"**GET THAT BRAT!" **He roared in absolute furry.

Many of the older officers had already begun gathering their guns and shields in preparation, the newbies meanwhile scrambled like headless chickens to comply with his order, none wanting to be seen as a possible target for the old man's ire.

As quickly as the order was given a squadron of 20 officers departed the precinct while the Lieutenant helped her still shaking father into a chair.

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**October 30****th**** 2024 Capulet City, 3:19 PM**

**Capulet City, Storm Drain System:**

Caelum C. Sparda, Cael to his family and few friends was laughing his head off all the while grinning like an idiot.

The million watt smirk that adorn his face was powered by the trill of the past few hours. He had completed his first demon extermination job, though he never got paid. He was captured by some nutcases, and then escaped in a spectacular way.

Got to meet a really hot chick, though that may have been the concussion and his demon side doing most of the talking. And he just out ran 20 of Capulet City's finest in a fifteen minute chase. It was exhilarating, his inner demon was literally purring with pleasure at the excitement of it all.

Now all he needed to do was get home before his parents and his day would be complete. But first he had to rest. Landing his board on the access walkway in the sewer tunnel, he sat down to catch his breath.

Leaning his back against the slightly slimy and moss covered brick pipe. Cael began to slowly recover, his heartbeat slowing along with his breathing. The cool brick felt so pleasant against his back that the pale headed teen began to drift off, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with him as the adrenalin drained away. As his eyes fluttered closed the teen decided that he both could afford and deserved a quick nap.

**Authors Note:**

**Yeah I've been gone for a while, I just haven't had any inspiration for my other stories. Currently Prologue 3 for **_**The Eighth Brain**_** is about halfway complete. I've got about a 1/6****th**** of the next chapter for **_**Deluge War **_**done and about a 1/5****th**** for **_**Pitch Black.**_** As I've said before I'm not going to abandon anything. In fact this story and another possible one if I get it all settled are the only new projects I'm going to be working on. I may try to complete these two and then **_**Pitch Black**_** which I think will be the shortest of the stories I have currently in syndication. This one will probably run about 20 chapters with 45-50K words. The other one will be around the same perhaps shorter by a bit. **_**Pitch Black **_**is likely going to be 25-30 chapters and 65-70K words and **_**Deluge War**_** maybe around 30-32 chapters and somewhere around 70-75K words. The Heavy weight of the group is **_**The Eight Brain **_**which will be no less than 80 chapters and 160-200K+ words. That story will likely not be done before 2016 at the earliest.**

**Next item of business, Cael, Nero and Dante's son. To describe him best is to say that he is both the worst parts of their personalities and the best parts combined. Though at the moment and for the most part earlier in the story he will favor the negative traits. I know you might be wondering how the hell he can sleep when he's caused so much chaos in the city and the answer is simple. He's a teenager. Teens already have a predisposition to consider themselves above rules and that they are invincible in general. With Cael you have the fact that he not only thinks he's invincible but for most intents and purposes he **_**IS**_** invincible, he quite literally has superpowers. He's a fourteen year old boy in the heart of puberty with Molotov cocktail of hormones both human and demon rushing through his veins. So he's going to do stupid things, it's just being who he is those stupid things are on a much grander scale than that of a normal rebelling teen. But don't worry Dante and Nero aren't stupid by a longshot. It's not going to be pleasant for him when they find out.**

**Since I'm on a roll the next chapter will **_**likely**_** (not certainly) be posted sometime later today after I rest my eyes I've been working on this since midnight and it's noon as I type this.**

**This is Johannes The Egg Emperor signing off so stay tuned for the next chapter of Silver Skies, Chapter 2: **_Meet the Parents_.


	2. Meet the Parents

**I'm back people! Whether that's a good thing or not… depends on if you like my writing. Anyway, 9 months and counting overdue here is chapter 2. **

**This story is rated M for Mature. It contains Mature themes: Death, Blood and Gore, Suggestive themes (Dante and Nero being shameless flirts), possible mentions of Drug use, Alcohol and REALLY, REALLY FOUL LANGUAGE.**

**Silver Skies**

**A Devil May Cry Fanfic**

By Egg Emperor

**Chapter 2:**

_**Meet the Parents**_

– _Being a parent can be the best,_

_And all the same a most difficult test_

_A war between our two desires, _

_One their success to which we aspire_

_We dream of happiness, long life and wealth,_

_Of meaning, kindness and good health._

_The second that commands us is our fear,_

_Our want to hold them and keep them near_

_To keep them safe from any harm,_

_Pain, misfortune and alarm._

_But a day will dawn there is no doubt,_

_That on that morn' they will go out_

_Our fears and dreams for them to test,_

_Our solace being we did our best. – _

**October 30****th**** 2024, Malenburg, [Rural town on Capulet outskirts] 2:17 PM**

**In a cornfield on the edge of town:**

All the way across Capulet and deep into a rural field past its suburbs, the sounds of a bloody battle echoed across the landscape, a symphony of gunshots and clanging metal. A legion of disfigured and misshapen creatures clashed with two snow haired men.

The older and large of the two was decked in red and black leather, the younger wore the same but favored blue. The two warriors crashed against their monstrous opponents with inhuman force, blow by blow felling their enemies. As amazing as it would seem the mob of creatures was being decimated, their hunters were untouched.

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Slash, grab, smack, crush, hack and burn; rinse and repeat, a monotonous dance of violence and gore, played out in the middle of an fallow cornfield. This nearly choreographed dance of carnage might seem a scene from a nightmare to most, but for Nero Sparda, it was much simpler. It was Tuesday and this was just another boring ass job, wiping out a hoard of minor demons that had grown large enough to become problematic.

A problem directly they were not, scarecrows – an unfortunate legacy of his homeland – were ultimately no big threat, being easily put down with a few precision strikes. The annoying thing however; was that people had ignored them long enough for their numbers to grow to over a thousand, which was why this job was taking so damn long. At this point even his patience was wearing very thin.

"Idiots", Nero muttered to himself, spinning to lop of the head of another of the macabre puppets, "Damn idiots."

Why the hell had the people of the farming town waited this long to call them? As much as he disliked being called out on a job to kill just a handful of minor demons, he hated even more having to face an endless hoard of the freakish things. At this point he had to have killed at least 300 or 400 of the damn things and they just kept coming, there had to be more than a thousand of them at the least…

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a sharp blooming pain over his left shoulder blade.

Nero whipped around, glaring at the scarecrow unfortunate enough to have stabbed him in the back, demonic red seeping into his ice blue eyes.

"YOU…

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On the other side of the field, red clad Dante Sparda, scythed through the annoying biomechanical puppets with his silver blade. Dodging and dashing, slicing through the hoard with practiced lethal grace, stopping only to pull one of his prized pistols and unleash a hail of lead on some distant demon. His more theatrical and showy actions a contrast to his younger lover's no nonsense tactics of violently crushing what stood in his way.

He smiled as he thought of the other white haired hunter, glancing down at the silver ring on his left hand, pausing to hack at a demon that tried to sneak up behind him.

As a teen Nero had been cute, adorable even, a kid with an attitude the size of a skyscraper, and Dante loved him for it. As he entered his twenties however; he finally grew into his frame and, Dante thought with relish, became quite a hunk.

Of course bigger Nero was just as easy to tease and rile up as the younger model, and that was something that Dante took full advantage of. The make Nero blush game was one of his favorite pastimes. Of course after succeeding Dante often caught a hard punch – or a bullet if Nero was feeling particularly pissed – for his trouble.

These days as much as Nero might protest otherwise, besides being older, bigger and stronger he was basically the same loud cocky punk that Dante met 16 years ago. A fact that Dante hoped would never change.

In truth no matter how much the younger man tried to control his temper these days – he only ever met with modest success at best; setting into a brittle icy civility when he was angered. It did help, especially when Lady was around, and avoiding the trigger happy woman's rage was a priority.

In fact, Dante smirked, it usually didn't take much to break that veneer of level headedness and uncover the 34 year-old's infamous temper, usually in an explosion of violence and profanity…

…MOTHER FUCKER!" an enraged yell echoed across the plain, followed by the boom of a fiery explosion.

Dante couldn't help it – the timing was just too perfect – he began to laugh. Case in point he thought, swiping a demon attempting to take advantage of his distraction; getting unsuspectedly ganked by a lesser demon.

"Punk kid." He muttered affectionately, turning back to an approaching group of scarecrows. Plastering a grin on his face he yelled out,

"Which one of you guys wants to dance first?"

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**October 30****th**** 2024 Capulet City, 4:47 PM**

**Capulet City, Storm Drain System:**

Lying against the cool moss of the inside of an outlet tunnel was a slumbering teen with shock white hair.

Cael awoke with a start, jerking up from the cool wall, a first he was disoriented before he quickly remembered he was lying in a sewer tunnel. The very one he hid in to escape a police chase after he cause a ruckus on 6th and in the central police station itself.

Chuckling to himself, he got up and worked the stiffness of sleep from his limbs. He glanced over at his watch and started as he saw the time.

"O shit! It's almost five! Dad and Pop will be home any minute!" He yelled grabbing his hover board and hopping on and taking off like a shot.

Shooting out to of the tunnel and into the air like he was shot from a cannon, Cael raced home, internally whining that he would be so dead if his parents got home before him. If he didn't beat them there, he be grounded for life…

"Shit!"

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**October 30****th**** 2024, Malenburg, [Rural town on Capulet outskirts] 4:27 PM**

**In a cornfield on the edge of town:**

Nero was exhausted. The extermination of the hoard of scarecrows had taken over four hours to complete, and he and Dante still had a nearly hour drive to get back home.

Jobs like this sucked, in more ways than one he thought, wincing as he clutched his still stiff shoulder. The wound had long since healed, but the area would be tender for a while longer considering how deep the stab had been. He rotated his arm to try to work out some of the kinks, scowling at the thought of his suede coat having another new hole in it. The thing had been a gift from Dante after one too many experiences with soaked denim during jobs in years past.

Speaking of the red clad hunter, Nero turned gazing over the fallow field which was littered with the corpses of numerous demons – he had been right there had been over a thousand of them, the real number was likely closer to fifteen-hundred – seeing Dante walking toward him, he began jogging towards the older hunter, meeting him in the middle of the field.

Dante was the first to speak,

"Hey, I talked to the police chief, told him the job was done."

"So what was the pay on this thing?" Nero asked, but in the back of his mind he already knew the answer as he and Dante began to walk toward the car parked on the edge of the field.

Dante rolled his eyes and grimaced, letting out a sigh "Shitty, as usual, $1,200 for the whole job."

"What the Hell!?, There were more than that many demons! " The blue hunter yelled.

"I know that, but there's not much we can do about it." The elder huffed in exasperation, though privately he agreed with his incensed husband, unfortunately it was to be expected. It was exactly like Lady to "volunteer" them for a job that was both unpleasantly difficult and at the same time paid peanuts, not to mention that she'd take half of the cut as her "finder's fee" leaving him and Nero with next to nothing.

"Seriously Old Man, it's about time you stand up to that withered old harpy, or we're going to be in the poor house forever; the water heater still hasn't been fixed!" the younger groused.

Dante couldn't help laughing "Old harpy? Jeeze Kid don't say that to her face, I'm too young to be a widower. Besides in case you haven't noticed, she's nearly the same age as me!" The older chuckled.

"Which is why she's such a vindictive bitch, she hates the fact that while you're older, you basically stopped aging 20 years ago, while she's getting saggier with every day." The younger snarked back, laughing when the elder choked, bent over laughs turning into a cough with the image his lover provided.

Dante finally got a hold of his breathing, still giving an occasional snort as he imagined what it be like if Lady had heard what Nero said, sobering quickly at the terrifying visage of furry his mind conjured as the likely aftermath.

"If I'm so young then why are you always calling me old?"

"Because appearances or not, that what you are Old Man, a dirty perverted old man." My dirty perverted old man, Nero mentally added.

"Well then, I guess this old man should start acting like one, I think I'll go to bed early tonight." Dante replied as he walked away before he turned with a smile "Would you like to join me… Kid?"

Dante's smile turned into a full blown smirk as Nero's eyes widened and his cheeks turned red.

Dante-1, Nero-0

Increasing his pace to keep up with his lover, Nero walked ahead him and decided that if Dante wanted to play, he wasn't going to hold back.

"So, I can't call you Old Man but you still call me Kid? I'm no "kid" Dante, I think I proved that last night." Turning to face his cheeky husband he added, "And if you've forgotten I can easily show you again tonight." He then turned on his heals walked away, a smile on his face.

Dante-1, Nero-1

Dante just stood looking at Nero as he walked away, his mouth suddenly very dry, swallowing with an audible gulp, he had but a single thought, 'touché Kid, touché.' before running to catch up with Nero.

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As they reached the car, Nero decided that now would be the best of time to talk about a touchier subject.

"Speaking of kids," Nero began, his voice serious and devoid of the playfulness of the prior moment's banter.  
"He's been skipping school again." He continued as he opened the passenger side door and climbed in.

"And?"

"And!? Dante we've talked about this," Nero replied with frustration as the older hunter slipped behind the wheel and started the car.

"Cael's never going to get in to college if he keeps skipping school, his grades are bad enough as it is without him missing classes."

"I still don't get what you are so worked up about, it's not that big a deal." He threw out as he turned onto the road that would lead them out of town and back to Capulet.

"Dante you know how feel about this, so of course it's a big deal." Nero was beginning to loose what was left of his already worn patience.

"I get that you want him to ignore the fact that he's half demon" he offered.

At this point Nero was pissed, he was tired, sore and more than a little bit hungry, and as much as he loved Dante right now he wanted to clobber him for being so fucking obtuse.

"GOD DAMN IT DANTE! You know that's not it!" he yelled, his last wall of civility exhausted

"What I want is for him to have a fucking choice! A choice on what he wants to do with his life."

Glancing down briefly at his right arm Nero took a breath and continued.

"A Choice that, need I remind you, we never had! From the time I could walk I was "trained" to kill "demons", to be mindless solider for the Order, one of thousands of cogs in Fortuna's grand conspiracy. Dante, if it weren't for you, I and everyone on that island would be a bunch of artificial lower demons, bent to that bastard Sanctus's will."

Nero glanced over at his husband who was staring straight ahead. His eyes fixed on the road, Dante gave no indication that he was listening. Still Nero continued anyway.

"And what about you Dante, hun? You were raised as an aristocrat, hell you were practically royalty for fuck's sake. Is this what you think your Mother and Father thought or wanted for you? Or Vergil? One son dead the other eking out a living, pay check to pay check, hunting mobs of demons and monsters? If everything went right you'd be living it up with the wealthiest people in the world, you'd be on the cover of half a dozen magazines as one of the world's most eligible."

What he had said was a bit below the belt, Nero knew that, but it was the only way he could think to make Dante understand what he wanted for their son.

He turned back to look and him and Dante turned away avoiding eye-contact. Well shit, Nero though realizing he had just managed to piss Dante off. Great then, if that was his lover's reaction to the first part then he could only imagine how well his reaction would be to what he was going to say next.

Taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh, Nero began.

"Dante", he said, his voice no longer angry, if anything it was even and quiet, perhaps even a little unsure, fearful of what he was about to say. He turned his head to look out the window, unable to see the hurt look he knew he would be on Dante's face as he spoke and continued.

"Do you know why I'm with you instead of Kyrie? Besides the fact that I'm completely in love with you, you egotistical jackass? Why I left Fortuna in the first place and came looking for you? First for a job and then for the only person who could understand me, could love me for who I was? It's because of this."

He glanced down at his right arm again, removing the little leather bracelet that disguised it – a gift from Lady, it would make his arm appear human as long as he wore it. – revealing the scaly demonic visage beneath.

"She couldn't get over this. Kyrie loved me, I know that, but this arm, she wasn't able to separate what it was from me. She could never see it as just an arm and because of that she could never see me as still me even if I wasn't human, at least not completely. It wasn't just her though, none of them could. And Kyrie, she was raised, just like I was, just like we all were, a good little follower. It was pounded into them, into her, hell into me. They were force fed Sanctus's lies; and even after he was exposed, after we had found out all he had done, all he was going to do… Those lies… they just ran too deep, the zealotry it… even if or when they acknowledged me as a hero, subconsciously because of this arm, they marked me as evil, as trouble. It was that way with Kyrie too, she, she almost tore herself apart trying to love me, trying to reconcile the absolute belief that demons and everything that has to do with to them are irrevocably evil, with me the person that she loved. That's why I ended it and left, it was causing her pain and me as well."

Nero turned back towards the interior of the car and sure enough, as he had feared Dante had that miserable hurt look on his face, which always caused Nero's chest to ache. As much as people thought he was an invincible demon slaying machine fueled by cheap pizza, Nero had come to know that Dante was rather sensitive, he just buried his feelings behind bravado and ego never letting them out, much the way Nero himself shielded himself with anger and sarcasm.

As he looked at his distressed love he was startled to realize something.

"Oh God, Dante, you're crying aren't you?" Nero's statement was soon affirmed by a soft sniffle.

"Dante, pull over, just stop the damn car for a second."

He was slightly surprised when the red clad male complied and with a screeching halt, stopped the car on the road side.

In a flash Nero grabbed Dante's right hand with his left and squeezed it as hard as he could.

"Dante, look at me!" he almost yelled.

When the larger man finally turned and looked at his lover, his tear streaked face and the awful pout on his lips nearly made Nero's heart break. He couldn't stand it. In an instant he slid out of his seat and onto the armrest, grabbed Dante's head and crashed their lips together in a bruising kiss. They remained that way for at least a minute, their arms wrapped around the other like a life ring in a storm.

Pulling away and looking at the tear marks down Dante's face made Nero want to punch the both of them for being so stupid.

"Oh Dante, I love you, you big idiot." Nero was almost in tears himself as he said it.

"Then why did you say that shit about the girl Kid? I mean we've been together sixteen years, and you've never told me any of that. I always wondered why you came here, because when I left after you had crushed the Order's plans you seemed so happy."

"Then why didn't you ask?"

"Because you all you ever said was that it didn't work out, I guessed that if there was more to it you'd tell me when you wanted to. Besides you were pretty messed up already, it took me six months to get you to go around with that arm of your not wrapped up when you weren't on a job. I figured that prodding into things might just make them worse."

"Thanks, I guess, I just… well I fell in head over heels for you not too long after that, and you fully returned my feelings only a few months later. I…guess I forgot or rather buried why I left Fortuna, by that point it didn't seem important." Nero confessed.

"And that the thing Dante; Kyrie was my first love, but she wasn't my true love, that's you Dante. So don't get me wrong, I love you, I love our son, I love our life. I just wish we didn't have to go through so much pain to get here. And that's what I want for Cael, I want him to have a better life, a chance at a normal one, if he wants it and if he doesn't we'll deal with that too. Either way I want him to have a life that doesn't have to carry all the shit we've had to deal with."

"Jesus, Nero… when you put it like that… I guess it doesn't sound like a half bad idea."

Nero started laughing, he couldn't help it. He created such a mess just trying to get it through Dante's thick skull that he wants their child to have a better life than they've had.

"We're both idiots aren't we Old Man?"

"Seems like it Kid" Dante replied as he joined in laughing, steering the car back on the road.

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**October 30****th**** 2024, Shadow Brier Road 4:48 PM**

**Near I-195 entry:**

As they blazed down the road, the wind whipping their hair, Nero wiped a mixture of sad and happy tears for his eyes, as he quiet laughed to himself.

Finally gathering himself together as well, Dante spoke up.

"Okay, I understand the whole wanting a less painful and better life, but what's with the whole has to get into college thing?" he asked.

"Dante, he's going to need it, hardly anyone hires people with just a highschool diploma anymore, he's going to need a job and it's not like he can just work for the "family" business."

"Eh, why not?" the elder asked off handedly, making a left to take them out on to the highway and not thinking about what he just had come out of his mouth.

As the convertible's engine picked up, its sounds joining with the hundreds of others in hum of the freeway as they sped north to Capulet, Nero could barely resist rolling his eyes and instead looked out the window before responding.

"Dante you know why."

At this point the man in red stiffened slightly, the conversation was beginning to move in a direction he'd rather it not. He had hoped Nero would just leave it, but considering that he seemed to be in a rare working out your issues mood, he rather doubted the younger man would let it alone. Mentally berating himself for opening his big mouth and still hoping he could avoid talking about it he responded.

"I really don't, so humor me Kid."

Dante hoped his oblivious response was enough to put Nero off and end the conversation.

Nero let out a small irritated huff, but considering the past twenty minute's conversation couldn't even conjure up even the dimmest flicker of ire at the elder's attempt to divert the conversation.

"Dante, anytime someone so much as mentions Cael and demons in the same sentence, you act like they just told you pizza was declared illegal. The last time I suggested introducing him to hunting, was two years ago; remember the Mephisto down at the courthouse? It kept trying to cut that mobster's head off -"

"I still think we should have let it." The red coated hunter interjected.

Nero glared at him.

"- anyway," he continued "I suggested we take Cael along, and you flipped out, we got into the biggest fight we've ever had."

"It wasn't that bad."

"You slept at your desk for a week. I used the guest room… on the third floor. The only way we could have been further apart is if you had made a cot in the basement."

"…Yeah." Muttered Dante as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

"Dante we didn't speak to each for two days, Cael was freaking out thinking we were going to get divorced."

"Okay, okay, big fight, I get it, can we just stop talking about it please?" Dante gritted out as he strangled the steering wheel.

Nero let out a huff

"Old Man, I get it, or at least I'm trying to. You're scared, I understand that, I still have nightmares about that night, horrible ones. And every morning for years, when he'd run down the stairs and hop into a chair, wondering what was for breakfast. I'd stare at that happy pointed little face and think just how close it was, how easily things could have been different, how I could have lost this moment and every moment like it… forever."

Dante opened to interrupt but Nero cut him off.

"However, that was a while ago. Do I still worry? Yeah but I'm pretty sure that natural, you know, to worry about your kid."

"He's not hunting demons, not after that." The older hunter practically growled out.

"Did I say he was? I'm just trying to remind you that, that, as you so called it happened 11 years ago, he's 14 Dante, not 3."

"We are not having this discussion, Nero." Dante's tone was gruff and angry.

"You're right we're not, this isn't a good time anyway." Nero replied as they entered Capulet proper and Dante turned onto the street that would lead to Devil May Cry.

"But we are going to talk about this, maybe when you grumpy old man syndrome isn't acting up." The younger finished.

Dante right eye twitched and he turned to level a glare at Nero. Whether it was for the promise of continuing the conversation at a later date or the old man syndrome comment, the younger hunter was unsure. Regardless he couldn't hold back a snicker in response.

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**October 30****th**** 2024, Capulet City, 5:01 PM**

**In front of Devil May Cry:**

Cael, touch down in front of the shop that was his home with a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He had made it, he thought triumphantly. He beat his parents home and completed the mission he had taken. Admittedly he didn't get paid but, recalling the conclusion he came to on his way home – that the job had been a setup to try to capture one of his parents, so there likely wasn't a reward to begin with – soothed any misgivings on that front.

Looking up at his home, he decided that while DMC was not the pretties of places, it wasn't that bad of a place to live. Sure the hot water didn't work more often than not, and the third floor – which wasn't originally part of the building – was drafty as fuck because the people his Dad hired to build it didn't really know what they were doing. The place was musty and smelled of stale pizza – again his Dad's fault- but it was home. Cael couldn't really imagine living anywhere else.

Throwing open the old front doors he stepped inside, making a mental note to tell Trish what he had done, more specifically about the fake job and the people who set it up. Maybe she could figure out who the hell they were; then she could tip off his parents without them ever knowing he was involved.

"But would she agree to keep quiet about it?" That was the question, Trish usually had no qualms going against Dante's and by proxy Nero's wishes, if it suited her or the greater good. The problem was whether she would decide that it was in his own best interests if his parents knew what he was up to.

That left Lady, but that was a dead end too, she loved to fuck with Dante, but the problem was she loved to screw over everyone else too. She wouldn't hesitate to throw him under the bus for a sick chuckle…

"Damn it all, I'm so screwed!" he exclaimed ruffling his hair with his hands.

"I'm not a fan of such foul language, but I must agree with the point you made Young Master." A voice called seemingly from nowhere.

Cael nearly jumped out of his shoes in surprise. Looking up from his hands his gaze moved towards the walls of the main office – which besides the small kitchen took up the entirety of the first floor – skulls of demons and various weapons, most of them demonic in origin dotted the walls, nothing moved or made a sound save the large fan spinning lazily on the celling.

"Hello?" Cael asked nervously, hoping there would be no answer.

"I concur with my sister's assessment of your sentiments, you will most certainly be in much trouble when the Master learns of what you've done."

"Shit!" Cael swore angrily as he walked briskly to the left wall his eyes falling on a pair of crossed scimitars, one orange the other blue.

"Agni, Ruda?" the white haired teen whispers breathlessly.

"That was a very foolish thing to do Young Master." Ruda the blue one replied.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Cael decided to be sure just how much the two knew before he admitted anything.

"What did I do that was so foolish?" he asked hoping against hope that the blades were ignorant of anything besides him sneaking out and skipping school.

"You came down here early in the morning and took a job request from the Master's desk. You then left early, long before it was time for you institution of learning to even open, further you did not take your bag of supplies with you. I can only surmise that you took on that request without the Master's knowledge. Did I forget anything brother?" said Agni the orange blade.

"No sister, you have summed up the Young Master's actions quite well, though I might add that the Master and his Mate will be most furious when they learn of you transgression Young Master." Ruda responded.

Cael was in a state of near panic at this point, if the blades let slip what he had done, he'd be grounded for life.

"Guys, is there any way that we could keep this just between us? Nothing bad happened so Dad and Pop don't really have to know. So please could you just keep quiet about this?" the teen begged.

Before either blade could respond to his plea a sultry syrupy laugh sounded from the back of the room.

"Oh honey, are you really asking those two to keep a secret? That's like asking a T-rex to be a vegetarian, it just ain't gonna happen."

"Nevan? You too? Oh this is just great, just fucking great." Cael wanted to rip his hair out, or scream or do something… he was panicking now he knew it. His parents would find out and he would be put on a leash who knows how long.

"Now, sugar, don't get me wrong I'm not going to throw you under the bus, but short of burying those two somewhere far away, you parents are going to find out." The purple guitar soothed.

Cael was about to respond when his heart nearly stopped at a noise coming from outside, it was his Dad's car…his parents were home… Oh God he was so fucking screwed.

He didn't have any time left it was now or never, he had to make some kind of deal.

"I'll polish all three of you twice a day for the next three months if you keep quiet about this!" he yelled, whirling franticly between the blades and the guitar.

"That sounds fair enough, what do you think brother?" The orange blade said.

"It does indeed sister, very well we accept your bribe Young Master." The blue one respond.

"Ah sugar, you didn't need to do that for me… but if you insist … just be gentle with me." The purple guitar laughed. He would have blushed at her innuendo if he wasn't in a full panic at this point.

Cael heaved a sigh of relief just as the heard a car door slam. He walked away from the wall towards the center of the room. Not hearing the last exchange that was still going on between the weapons.

"Do you think we should have told him brother?" Agni asked

"What do you mean sister?" Ruda replied.

"She's wondering if you should have told the kid that Nero isn't the one he has to worry about in all this mess." Nevan supplies.

"Ah that, perhaps you're right, but it is too late to warn him now." Ruda said before falling quiet as the front doors opened.

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**October 30****th**** 2024, Devil May Cry, 5:11 PM**

**Main Office:**

Tired and sore Dante thrust open the doors to his home and place of business. The first thing he saw as he walked in the door was his son Cael, standing near the left wall his head bent and arm supporting him. He looked exhausted. But of more interest Dante thought was thought was what he was wearing. He'd never seen the clothes his son had on before.

"Hey kiddo, what's with the getup?" Dante called out to him.

"They let you wear that to school?" Nero asked

Cael barely had time to turn to his parents and mutter a quick, " 'S not a dress code."

When the double doors of the shop slammed open with a bang that shook the walls.

In walked, Lady with a loud, "Hey Dante ya here?" Trish following right behind her.

Seeing all three white haired half-devils she continued.

"Oh good your all here."

Dante whipped whatever slight look surprise her unwelcomed appearance might have place on his face and turned around.

Studying her for a moment, he couldn't suppress slight feelings of both fear and awe that at nearly fifty she could still lug that rocket launcher around on her back like it was nothing. It just proved how terrifying she really was.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dante talking with sigh.

"Okay I get why you're here…" he glared at Lady.

"But what are you doing here Trish?" he address the blond demoness.

The blond gave a small sigh of her own her mien changing from her usual thin line to a sad smile.

"Dante, Nero, there's something you need to see," she said as she walked forward into the room and picked the remote up from the arm of the old leather couch.

Dante felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It wasn't her words those were innocent enough, it was her tone. It wasn't her usual business like clip, it was that sweet soft motherly tone, the one that was always associated with either heartache or doom. It was her way of letting him down easy.

Nero noticed the change in his lover and the softness in Trish's voice but was unable to connect the two, he instead turned to Lady and catching the huntress's eye, gave her a questioning look.

"Hey don't look at me kid, I only came here to collect my finder's fee. But after what Trish told me on the way over, I just had to see this." She said, turning her head towards Cael.

The white haired teen was listening to Lady speak with his Father, just as her last word struck him as particular ominous, she tuned and gave him what was perhaps the most frighteningly sadistic looking smile he had even seen. He didn't know exactly what it was about, but that smile spoke volumes in and of itself. It said simply, 'Kid you are so fucking screwed'.

Cael felt himself pale, all the blood draining from his face as a cold sweat broke out on his neck. 6th street! Oh Fuck how could I have forgotten about that. It's going to be all over the news.

Nero, looked as Lady turned her head and followed her gaze towards his son, who suddenly went so pale that he looked like he had gone several rounds with a vampire.

He was about to question his son further when Trish turned on the TV.

_And now to our top story tonight, a large explosion occurred on 6__th__ street near Broadway at just before three this afternoon. The blast destroyed a float hauler and damaged two buildings shattering windows and causing mass panic, which resulted in over a dozen collisions. Large sections of glass from the two damaged buildings fell to the ground damaging several parked cars and wrecks accidents as well as the remains float hauler have caused all of 6__th__ between Broadway and Main to be shut down until they can be cleared._

_We now go live to the scene with our reporter, Eric Sands._

_Thanks Michel, as you can see there is wide spread debris from the float hauler itself as well as large pieces of glass scattered all across the road here. The police are still looking for the occupants of the truck, who apparently fled the scene before they could be questioned about the incident. There is currently no word on when the debris will be cleared and this section of 6__th__ reopened. Back to you Michel._

_And now some new information that we have received since we first brought this story to you at four. Police have a suspect in this incident. Police are looking for a young male with white hair approximately 5' 5" in height wearing black pants and shirt and a black overcoat with silver accents. He was seen speeding away from the site of the explosion on a silver hoverboard, shortly thereafter crashed in the atrium of Police Headquarters. He is suspected in not only wonton destruction of property, but also harassment of a police officer. If you have any information in regards to the suspect you are urged to call the Capulet police department's tip-line._

The other four occupants in the room were glued to the TV, while off to the side Cael felt like he was going to throw up.

_This just in, I have been told by our producers that we have obtained a video of the incident shot from a cell phone, which I am now going to play for you._

_(_The video starts with its filmer chattering in amazement at the skylanes and floating cars above him, suddenly there is a deafening bang as an explosion goes off high in the air. People start screaming, as the sound of shattering and falling glass breaks all around, the "camera" is shaken as the man filming it runs for cover under an overhang. Soon the picture returns to the sky as large float truck can be seen billowing smoke, beginning to sink towards the ground. Then camera then refocuses on a figure shooting out of the cloud of smoke, the video is grainy and you can't make much out other than a smudge of white at the top and black everywhere else.

Suddenly a voice shouted, above the din of panic on the streets.

"Suck on this, ya Fuckers!"

[Upon hearing his own voice shout profanities from the TV, Cael's heart fell into his stomach, forget being grounded he thought, I'm dead, they are going to kill me.]

The figure then sped off at high speed down the street, moments later another crash of shattering glass sounded as the figure crashed into the police station. The video then cut to black._)_

_Ladies and Gentlemen I apologize for what you just heard. We just received the raw footage moments ago and had not had time to view it. Any future airings of that footage will be properly censored for profanity._

_ Now that is it for the top stories, so I will turn it over to Rob for the Sports._

_ Thank you, Michel, the Capulet arrows…_

For a few moments the room was consumed with a stunned silence, until it was broke by a harsh raucous laugh.

"O my God that's… too perfect for words, the little brat's a chip off the old block ain't he Dante?" Lady managed to get out before dissolving back into laughter.

Dante on the other hand didn't even seem to hear her, he was standing perfectly still his wide eyes blinking owlishly at the TV as if he couldn't comprehend what he had just seen.

Nero was as white as a sheet and his mouth hung open, completely aghast at what he had seen.

Trish simple sent the now trembling Cael, whose mind was consumed with thoughts of his impending death, a sad but reassuring smile.

Nero was the first to come out of his stupor. His jaw snapped shut, girted so tightly that he could feel his teeth creak. His eyes narrowed in absolute furry, he whirled around and faced his now very pale and very ill looking son. He managed to unclench his jaw long enough to growl out a single word.

"EXPLAIN!"

Cael, was terrified, but he knew he had to say something to calm his Father and make him understand. The words fell from his lips like water and once he started he couldn't stop.

"Pop, I'm sorry, it's not my fault, those freaks in the truck, van, whatever the hell is was. They kidnapped me. I caused the explosion trying to escape!" he babbled, hoping they focused on him being kidnapped and not on just how he caused the blast.

That single word… kidnapped… was enough to break Dante out of his trance, he suddenly felt very cold in the pit of his stomach, he spun around just as both he and Nero yelled.

"WHAT?!"

Dante had to fight the urge to grab his son and pull him close and if his body language meant anything so did Nero.

"They tazed me, at least I think they did, tied me up, bunch of guys in tactical gear, the kind you see swat teams wear, 'sept they had these weird looking daggers in their belts instead of guns and had these hoods on. They kept yammering on about gramps and some savior thing."

It was now Nero's turn to feel chills.

Watching the color drain from Nero's face. Cael began to suspect that his parents or at least his father knew who those goons were.

Slicking his hair through his hands, Nero let out an angry sigh.

"Fuck, god damn fuck it all to Hell, the order, it was the fucking order," Nero raged.

"But how? It's next to impossible that the old order could be back! I destroyed it," He turned to his red clad lover.

"We, destroyed it, Dante! How is this even possible?"

Sensing that his partner was beginning to panic and would soon start his usually blame himself routine, Dante moved to his husband's side and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Nero, this isn't your fault, we always knew that a few a members of the inner circle, as well as a few dozen of the real zealots from the lower levels were never captured or reported killed. Some of them must have restarted the order."

"Shit," Nero hissed. This was his fault he thought, he should have made sure all those years ago, made sure that it wasn't something that would come back to haunt him. He should have tracked them down and made sure that they wouldn't come back. And because he didn't, now they have, and they went after his son.

Dante squeezed Nero's shoulder, he had to snap him out of this or they'd really be in trouble.

"Don't worry, well find them and then wipe them out just like last time only this time for good."

Nero realizing what his lover was up to, namely trying to make him feel better couldn't help smiling; leaning up as Dante leaned down to him, Cael covered his eyes. Seeing his parents neck was not something that he wanted burned into his memory.

A few moments later Dante chuckled,

"It's all clear kiddo, you can look now."

Cael uncovered his eyes and looked towards his still angry parents, or well he added as he thought about Pop was still pissed. Dad seemed to not be too upset.

"Cael, what about the whole harassing an officer thing?"

His son looked sheepish and blushed slightly before responding.

"After I busted out of the Truck I was so busy with my whole telling them to suck it thing that I didn't even notice where I was going or what was behind me, when I finally turned around it was too late. I crashed into the atrium and fell about three floors onto this lady cop's desk and was knocked out."

Dante and Nero both winced slightly upon hearing that, while it wouldn't have caused their son any permeant damage, it would have hurt like a bitch.

"When I finally woke up, I was sorta out of it, pretty sure I had a concussion; felt a lot like that time I fell off the upstairs balcony when I was 7, anyway she was sort of pretty and I'm pretty sure that not all of me was totally awake and…"

"Well?" Nero griped.

"I sort of hit on her, gave her my cell number." He sheepishly confessed, a blush rising to his cheeks.

Lady who by this time had "sobered up" fell back in fits of laughter interspersed with snorts of "Dante's Kid", while Nero's eyes went wide.

"It then turns out that she was the commissioner's kid apparently and he wasn't too happy when he overheard what I said to her, and … I may have called him fat too on top of everything else."

By this time Lady was seemingly having some trouble breathing, breath's interspaced with gawhafs and "Nero's too." Trish decided to help her onto the couch.

"So he sent a squad of cops after me, but I escaped and hid in a storm drain, then came back here."

Nero having heard the story, was still incredibly angry, though he had managed to turn his fury down from incandescent to more manageable levels. At least until Dante started laughing too.

As it were, they were going to have to figure out a way to keep Cael out of juvy, and somehow pay for all the damages done to the city. The thought of it made his head hurt. Besides her propensity for collecting finder's fees on everything she sent their way, they didn't actually owe Lady any money; that debt had been paid years ago. But as it was, destruction their son had caused would likely keep them in debt to the city for decades… Wincing Nero put his hand to his head, he really did have a headache now.

Still laughing, Dante turned towards the TV catching the end of the news hour and the final blurb that it had to offer.

_And last tonight, sad news for art lovers and the Capulet parks department, the Cooper Square Fountain which depicts souls being cleansed in the fires of Purgatory, was vandalized again late this morning. The fountain which was built in the late 80's has been the subject of over two-dozen attacks of vandalism over its nearly 40 years of existence. It is unknown if the Parks department will once again rebuild it. This is Michel Walker wishing you a good evening. _

The screen changed to a commercial. Dante stopped laughing, it wasn't a slow taper either, just straight to silence. He abruptly turned to the right and with long purposeful steps walked over to his desk, looking for the green slip of paper that Trish had dropped off early late last night. He didn't find it.

Everything happened quickly after that.

Lady abruptly stopped laughing. Sitting up she turned and stared at Dante's back, as he stood in front of the desk.

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere of the room, the air had become heavy, and the temperature in the room fell.

Apprehension crept up Cael's neck, the hair there standing up. The air felt like syrup, thick with fear and hard to breath, each breath Cael took needed physical effort.

Dante turned around.

Cael began whishing he hadn't

His Dad's face was a mask of unspeakable rage, his eyes glowed a radiant crimson. Cael was afraid, no scratch that he was fucking terrified. He had never in his entire life been afraid of his Dad, but now, now in this moment he feared him more than he had ever feared anything.

Before his mind ceased operation and gave in to sheer terror, Cael had three final thoughts. That he had apparently somehow crossed over some line, broken some terribly important rule that he was unaware of. That it was a miracle that he hadn't pissed himself; and upon locking eyes with Dante… That this is the last thing Mundus saw before he died.

**Author's Notes:**

**AND SCENE!**

**Okay everyone, I'm just glad to say that I'm back, at least in some capacity. I can't guaranty when I'll update this story or any of my others right now. I'm just really getting back on my feet at the moment. I'm not going to go into all the gory details, suffice to say that dealing with a loved one who has a mental illness is very difficult and enormously draining on your entire life. **

**Originally the chapter wasn't supposed to be this long, fluffy or angsty, especially with Dante and Nero. The car ride scenes were really small at first but the sort of just expanded as more gaps filled in. I tried to keep them completely relevant to the story and this time unlike in a few of my other works I feel that I've succeeded. In fact several scenes are integral setting up plot later on. So in a way, go me for staying on topic. I know that this chapter was also very Nero heavy, most of the dialog and thoughts were his. That wasn't intentional, it just turned out that way. But the next chapter will definitely be Dante centric or at least have much more of it from his point of view.**

**Also a word of warning for the next chapter, Dante's going to be acting out of character as we know him. In fact, I'll say he's going to be a real ass, there is a reason behind this that we will get into later. Suffice to say however; people do stupid, irrational and angry things when they are afraid. And there is perhaps no fear greater in this world than that of a parent for the safety of their child, especially so when they've already suffered grave losses.**

**One final thing of note. Within the silver skies, Caelum is 14, Nero is 34 and Dante is 53, which means that when Cael was born Nero was 20 and Dante was 39. In this fic I've basically assumed that Dante and Nero remain pretty much in their prime continuously, if anything one could argue (at least in my fic-vers) that Dante is actually stronger at 53 than he was at the time of DMC 4 (Nero now having fully grown up is going to be stronger than he was in DMC 4). It makes things easier in my opinion to just assume they are going to live for much longer than the average human. I mean demons are immortal so what would be halfway between 100 years and eternity?**

**This is Johannes The Egg Emperor signing see you all with the next chapter of Silver Skies, Chapter 2: **_Daddy's Very Angry._


	3. Daddy's Very Angry

**Well I was on a roll last week, we'll see how long this holds out. Let it also be known that I really don't like this chapter…But after re-doing it completely 3 times and various edits during and after that, and still not having it the way I want it I decided to just publish the best version I could and continue on instead of getting suck forever on this one. Also this chapter and the Next one were supposed to be a single chapter. But I decided the point in the middle was just too good a cliff to waste. **

**This story is rated M for Mature. It contains Mature themes: Death, Blood and Gore, Suggestive themes (Dante and Nero being shameless flirts), possible mentions of Drug use, Alcohol and REALLY, REALLY FOUL LANGUAGE. Special Warning for this chapter, is Dante acting like an abusive asshole, but his behavior does have an explanation later on in the next chapter. Not an excuse just a reason to understand it.**

**Silver Skies**

**A Devil May Cry Fanfic**

By Egg Emperor

**Chapter 3:**

_**Daddy's Very Angry**_

_ – Anger, Wrath and bright red Rage, _

_For them does Fear set the Stage_

_For some there is no flee or flight,_

_Against the dread they only fight – _

**October 30****th**** 2024, Devil May Cry, 5:11 PM**

**Main Office:**

Dante didn't really know what happened, one second he was laughing his head off at his son's – admittedly expensive – antics. And then… then he heard the news announcement, the stupid fountain that the city kept rebuilding. It had been destroyed again. But Trish had just dropped that assignment off the previous evening. He and Nero had planned on swinging by the fountain after they had got home from the Malenburg job, but it took a lot longer than they expected and with all the emotional talk on the drive back, they had forgotten about it.

But someone had destroyed the demon making fountain. He didn't do it and Nero sure didn't do it… They said it happened this morning he and his husband were already halfway to their job by that point. Which only left…

Dante's mind was almost running on auto pilot, he turned and felt himself stride to his desk.

He searched it, hoping against hope; that little green slip of paper that Trish handed him the night before.

It wasn't there which meant…

It all happened rather quickly:

His body went cold, painfully so, like ice had been poured into him; pure icy frozen fear coursed through his body. Then it was gone, replaced in a flash by a different series of emotions. It was like jumping from a frozen lake into a pool of lava, the fear ignited into purest rage, molten fire rushed through his veins consuming his ability to think.

His last thoughts as he turned to face his son consisted of: Cael…. and… Demons. Then everything was washed away in red.

DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC

Terrified, shitting your pants in absolute fear terrified. That described his current state very well Cael thought as he stared at his Dad. And then … then things got worse much worse.

"You little Shit!" the irate hunter roared. The sound shaking the windows.

Cael had barely time to register that his Dad had never called him something like that before, when he was slammed into the wall behind him. His eyes shut against the pain as his breath left him, the sound of wood cracking and his back creaking made his teeth rattle.

Opening his eyes the black clad teen found himself nearly a foot off the ground, Dante having hefted him to eye level by the scruff of his shirt.

Catching a glance of his Dad's furious face, Cael closed his eyes, his head flinching away.

Unfortunately this only served to stoke Dante's anger.

"Look at me!" the voice was nearly a growl, and Cael barely recognized.

"I SAID LOOK AT ME!" the distorted roar of his Dad's voice caused the building to tremble and Cael to scrunch his face in pain, his ears uncomfortable with the volume.

Nero was in shock. He was in shock for most of this past afternoon. But this what he was seeing he couldn't comprehend. He was angry with Cael, that he wasn't denying but… what the Hell. He couldn't even think straight, watching his husband, the love of his life practically attack their son; it was like a sick joke. A sick joke that would end as soon as he could force his body to move.

Just as he regained control and was about to step forward and send Dante into the wall, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

He turned his head to see Trish, who gave him a pointed look, one that said stop and wait. Something that felt impossible for the blue clad man. He couldn't…

Trish was worried, Dante was acting out of anger and fear, and if he wasn't careful he could either hurt Cael or damage their entire relationship. At the same time no matter how much Nero wanted to help, he couldn't right now, Cael didn't need was to see an all-out brawl between his parents, and that's exactly what would happen if Nero tried to intervene right now. Right now the blond demoness noted, their options sucked.

The trembling teen, not wanting to get yelled at anymore, raised his head and looked Dante right in his crimson eyes; eyes so different from the loving sky blue he was used to. These eyes which burned with fury combined with his rage twisted face to make the older hunter nearly unrecognizable as the man Cael called Dad.

"What the HELL were you thinking!?" The red clad man shouted. His grip on the boy's shirt tightening.

"Oh, wait YOU WEREN'T! Hell if what Nero says about your grades is true, I wonder if you can THINK AT ALL!" the son of Sparda shouted, his body nearly vibrating with anger. His eyes tracing to his son's belt noticing the holster.

"Dad… I'm… Sor…" Cael attempted to get out, it was hard to breathe, whether from fear or having the wind knocked out of him he didn't know, only that it kept getting harder to get air into his chest.

"Can't be THAT sorry," the man yelled, pulling out the gun and looking at it, and noting the fact that it was heavily altered, something that took time. The fact that his son had planned this right under his nose, made Dante's temper surge to new heights.

"Look at this thing," he growled, turning the weapon over in his hand…"You must have been planning this for a while." He spat, crushing the gun into scrap and letting the warped remains drop to the floor.

He couldn't help it, Cael tried to be strong but, this… this was too much, he couldn't move, couldn't breathe, he was shaking. He started to cry, tears dripping from eyes still wide with fear.

"Dad…I can't… Daddy… can't breathe." The white haired teen managed to gasp out. Though the boys cries didn't seem reach Dante through the haze of anger, falling deaf on the man holding him, but not upon Nero.

Deciding that he didn't give a fuck what Trish thought anymore. Nero started to step forward ready to place his lover in a coma, only to be beaten to the punch.

Seeing that no one else was going to stop what was happening, Lady decided that it was up to her to derail this clusterfuck before things went too far. She stood up, cocking one of her many guns and leveling it a Dante's head.

The sound of the click was deafening in the lull between Dante's shouts, causing all eyes except those of the traumatized teen, to turn to Lady.

"Dante, knock it the fuck off before I decide to decorate the wall with your brains! I get you don't like what the brat did but he was being a fucking kid! You've done things that were even more moronic and destructive!" She yelled, he two-toned eyes locking with her old friend's furious red ones.

With a new target for his anger, Dante's right arm slackened letting go of the teen's shirt.

Cael crumpled to the ground in a shivering, whimpering heap, instinct making him curl inward, his mind too gripped with fear to even think about fleeing.

Narrowing his eyes at Lady, Dante turned and walked towards her.

Nero took the opportunity, to sprint towards Cael. The young teen had managed to move himself into a corner by the stairs. Looking down on the trembling young man made Nero's heart hurt, though it didn't diminish the fact that he was still angry for at the boy. Most of this mess, sans the repressed issues, was still Cael's fault.

Keeling down, Nero brushed his son's shoulder to get his attention, causing the boy to flinch. Calling his son's name in a soft voice he managed to get him to look up and almost lost his resolve when he saw the pained and tear streaked face.

Feeling something brush across his shoulder, Cael stiffened, worried that Dante had come back to yell at him some more. He only relaxed when he heard his Father's voice call his name. Looking up into his Father's face, it was all he could do to make a slight whine.

"Pop…"

"Cael I want you to go to your room." Nero said as gently as he could

"But…"

"Now Cael." Nero didn't yell, he hardly raised his voice but he left no doubt that he wasn't going to be disobeyed.

With a small nod his son scurried up the stairs, the slam of his bedroom door music to Nero's ears.

Turning and walking back, Nero caught the end of the confrontation between Dante and Lady.

"What makes you think that you can tell me how to raise my son Mary? The red hunter practically hissed out. Instead volcanic fire, his voice was cold, and sharp, ice and frozen steel.

"What makes you, human, think you know what's best for a half-demon? What's best for my child? I mean you really did have such a great role model didn't you. So I guess there's that. " The white haired man sneered.

Dante wasn't even sure where his words were coming from, just that he was furious, afraid and exhausted and they sounded right.

"It's really none of your business woman, so get the Hell out of my shop."

Despite how steady she was holding her gun, keeping it trained right in between Dante's eyes, Lady was shaking on the inside.

It wasn't the words – though the usage of human was both novel and unnerving – they hurt sure, but half of the shit that was ever said to her hurt. No it was the way he had said it that had her nervous. The cold sharp edge that was so un-Dante it wasn't even funny, the superiority in the inflection of the words. The way that sarcasm had been replaced with cold callousness. Though she was looking directly at Dante, in her mind's eye she was seeing a completely different man.

"You know what? Fine, I don't have to put up with this shit," She glared at the hunter, pushing up her sunglasses and heaving her rocket launcher back onto her back, before walking briskly toward the doors and kicking them open. Trish followed her lead, deciding to leave Dante to Nero. Lady was about to just walk out but turned around in the entry to face the man that she had known since her early teens.

"You know what Dante? What sickens me more than what you did to the brat?" She sneered.

"Just a second ago, you sounded just like him… Fuck, get a haircut and Nero's coat and no one would know the difference. Guess you two weren't as different as you always said you were." She tossed over her shoulder Trish following her as she left.

Following the girl's departure there was a moment of silence that neither Nero nor Dante seemed to want to break

Her words were enough to shock Dante to his senses – being compared to his brother usually had that effect – and though he was still unspeakably angry, he could at least think straighter, or he would if he didn't have an awful headache he thought, pinching his brow.

Walking over to the table beside his desk he poured himself a glass of whiskey… At least he thought it was whiskey… cheap liquor tended to look and smell the same.

Just as he was about to take a drink, there was a loud bang and the glass shattered, some of the shards embedding themselves in his hand.

He turned to see a very angry looking red eyed Nero, his famous revolver still smoking.

"Jesus Kid! What the Hell, you nearly took my hand off." The elder yelled.

"What, the Hell? What the HELL?" Nero yelled back his voice getting progressively louder.

"WHAT THE HELL, IS FUCKING RIGHT! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" The younger man roared.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WAS THAT?!" The blue clad hunter exploded.

"YOU JUST ATTACKED OUR SON! HE WAS CRYING DANTE, FUCKING CRYING!" Nero was shaking like a leaf his rage barely contained.

"Well maybe that will make him think twice about doing something so dangerous!" The elder yelled back. Some of his previous anger returning.

"DANGEROUS!? DANTE THEY'RE BLOOD GOYLS! THEY'RE AN ANNOYANCE AT BEST! HE WASN'T IN ANY DANGER!" The younger railed.

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" The red hunter replied his hear gripped with fear and anguish.

"JESUS CHIRST! This isn't just a normal fear is it? It's a full blown fucking phobia!"

"I don't want to talk about it!" The older yelled, talking about it just made it seem more real, more dangerous, he couldn't handle that. Not… not now. He needed a drink, he moved to get another glass.

Seeing that Dante not only was resisting, but was apparently just going to drink himself stupid to get out of this mess made Nero nearly go ballistic. Instead he turned and fired Blue Rose, shattering the decanter and the other man's hopes of alcohol induced amnesia.

"Well too fucking bad Dante, we're going to talk about it you and I, and we're going to figure out if we even have future together." Nero stated coolly and gravely fingering the silver band on his left hand. Because as much as it scared him, made his heart ache, after that little stunt, he wasn't sure he, let alone Cael wanted Dante around.

Dante began to get pissed. He didn't want to talk about it and there was no way Nero was making him.

But as soon as his lover finished his sentence, Dante's heart stopped. 'If we have a future together?' His blood ran cold, that uncomfortable cold that forms from fear, he had felt it earlier, but it was even worse this time. Was Nero saying what he was saying? Did he mean…

Whipping around with widened eyes, he walked toward his husband, moving swiftly. He was right in front of him and reached his arms out to…

"Don't touch me Dante… not now, not after that." The younger man turned away his voice icily civil, the way it got when he was trying not to scream at someone.

"You don't mean that… Nero… you can't!" Dante eyes were wide with distress.

"I'm not sure what I mean right now, it's our son that I'm worried about, you pretty much scared him to death.

"He can't be af.."

"You nearly triggered on him." The younger commented.

"And I… I don't know Dante, you… you basically attacked Cael, he was shaking when I got him to go up to his room. I'm… I'm angry with him too. Those were idiotic things he did… but what you did was… I don't know. Cael's resilient but… if he's afraid of you… I'm not going to force him to stay here. And he can't live on his own either… so." Nero stated, simple and distant.

The rest was left unsaid.

Dante couldn't think … he was … well he didn't know where or what he was, his emotions had been all over the map today, all he could tell is that it was somewhere between afraid, angry and now sick and ashamed.

His legs moved on his own again. Before he knew what he was doing he was nearly out the front door.

"I… I need to think." The words passed his lips a meaningless assurance to Nero, which his brain tossed out on impulse, but didn't really comprehend. He then left the building and walked into the city.

It was all Nero could do not to burst into tears, as he watched the other hunter go. Mechanically he sat in one of the old wooden chairs that were for clients and put his head in his hands.

**Author's Notes:**

**AHHH! The Angst it BURNS! **

**Well that was a wonderful note to leave off on. At any rate, here's the third chapter a bit early since I decided to split it. But don't get too worried. The next chapter contains lots of explanations and well as tons of fluff and cuddles… OR DOES IT? MUAHAHAHA!**

**For now this is Johannes The Egg Emperor signing off see you all with the next chapter of Silver Skies, Chapter 4: **_What a Devil Fears._


	4. Failing, Falling, Façade

**This story is rated M for Mature. It contains Mature themes: Death, Blood and Gore, Suggestive themes (Dante and Nero being shameless flirts), possible mentions of Drug use, Alcohol and REALLY, REALLY FOUL LANGUAGE. Special Warnings for this chapter, self-blame and sadness. Then enough fluff to give people allergies.**

**Silver Skies**

**A Devil May Cry Fanfic**

By Egg Emperor

**Chapter 4:**

_**Failing, Falling, Façade **_

– _The Rain pours down_

_Softly as silent tears,_

_Echoes in the quite void_

_The mind disappears in vacant dreams._

_Seeking Solace, shelter from the heart's calamity,_

_Iron Bastion, Citadel._

**October 30****th**** 2024, Devil May Cry, 5:43 PM**

**Main Office:**

Sitting hunched over in an uncomfortable chair near the middle of the room Nero bemoaned his existence. Or at least the past several hours of his life.

"What the fuck am I going to do?" he muttered to the empty room.

It was a good question he thought, what the fuck was he going to do? In less than an hour the last 16 years of his life had nearly come crashing down. And; he morosely pondered, there was no guaranty that everything wouldn't end up in rubble.

All because the Old Man's bubbling guilt over something that he couldn't have possibly controlled, had turned into a paranoid phobia.

Not that it was all his husband's fault.

The blue coated hunter let out a depressed sigh.

"'s my fault too, isn't it?" he mumbled, an admission of guilt to the world, not that there was anyone to hear it. He should have talked to Dante instead of ignoring things, he mentally berated himself as he began toying with the silver band on his finger.

"Now everything's coming apart," his throat went dry, he felt sick and suddenly very angry.

Getting up he walked forward, hands griping and tearing at his hair in fury and anguish.

Seething, boiling anger – at himself, his family and the whole damn universe that seemed to want him to be miserable – erupted.

Lashing out with violence, the young man grabbed the chair with his disguised bringer and threw it against the wall, where it broke with the echoing cracking of wood.

Letting his arm go slack, white haired man glared up at the ceiling.

"Is this what you fucking want? Me to be miserable? What have I ever done to deserve this?" he half yelled half sobbed at whatever might be up there, delighting in his torment.

"Is this it? I can't be happy?" he shouted, becoming more and more hysterical with each word. Slowly and unconsciously he backed up as he railed, until his back pressed against that of the couch.

"Because I'm cursed?" he choked out through tears eyes leveled at his right arm. Anger leaving him he succumbed to exhaustion and sorrow, his back sliding against the couch until he was on the floor collapsed against it.

"And now… now I'm gonna lose it all again." He cried, clenching his eyes against the tears and exhaustion, expending precious energy to slam his fist against the floor in a final act of defiant anger.

"I wouldn't say that." Soothed a quiet kind voice.

Nero looked up surprised as he blinked through tears to reveal.

"Trish? I thought you'd left?"

"Like I could leave when something like this is going on?" The demoness stated flipping her blond hair behind her back with a crisp smile.

"That was some mess you boys made, I give you that." She said

"But cleaning up Dante's messes is something I've been doing for a very long time. This shouldn't be much different I think."

"I don't think this is something that can be fixed…" the hunter sighed, finger tracing meaningless shapes on the floor.

"This was our fault, a big fucking problem with the way we lived. We didn't talk about things, we hardly ever do. Until today the Old Man had never heard the real reason behind why I left Fortuna for good."

"Maybe because it was unnecessary, you were starting a new life. You didn't need to talk about the old one." Trish opined off handedly.

"Maybe," the younger said, sliding down until he was flat on his back, facing the ceiling.

"But it was just allowed the whole not talking about what bothered us thing to get started. Dante and I barely know anything but the basics about each other's lives before we met."

"And then," he sighed "Then when that happened, when Cael was taken, we were so in shock, so lost in our own fears that we didn't want to talk, and when I was finally ready to confront it, Dante, he didn't want to, so I … I worked through it on my own, got over it … but … Dante didn't, he just buried it and tried to forget everything. His own guilt, and fear, the fact that I'm pretty sure he thinks I blame him. I… I should have made him talk years ago… but I was so afraid… everything was finally back to normal, we … we were happy again. And I didn't want to upset that… but I should have… I should have forced it… he would have been angry… but if I had … maybe … this…" the man sniffled.

Trish's patience was wearing thin. She felt for the two idiots of course, but this godforsaken pity party had to stop. If not for their sanity then for hers.

It was always the same thing with these two, she thought with a grimace. When either was upset they'd try to hide it, Nero with anger and Dante with sarcasm and charm. But when it was too much… they'd end up like this: sad, depressingly pathetic, and self-blaming.

She had seen it so many times over the years that she had lost any sympathy – which wasn't useful for them in such a self-flagellating state – for their mental self-destruction. Instead she had took to taking a more active approach.

Pushing off the wall with a huff she decided to get to work.

Hearing the exasperated sigh and the clicking of heels Nero thought that Trish had finally given up and decided to let him wallow in his misery where he belonged. The sudden bough of vertigo as he was roughly pulled to his feet dispelled that though.

"Woah…" Nero's arms shot out, one to hopefully keep his spinning head on his shoulders the other to holding the couch, as his balance went out he moment Trish had let go of his jacket.

"What the … what was that for?" he stammered out, trying to get his eyes to focus on only one of the Trishes standing in front of him.

"That was for being a self-effacing moron, for starters, I mean who's blaming themselves now Nero?" She clipped out in her usual tone, finger pressing to his chest to emphasize her point.

Turning she pinched the bridge of her nose in her hand, before shaking her head.

"The two of you are idiots… Plain and simple. You pull this crap all the time and it drives everyone crazy, me included. Sure this is bigger than most of the crap you get at each other's throats for, but the whole woe is me, my life is over thing that the both of you are doing, it's not fooling anyone. Accept that things happened and move on, like you always do."

"How?!" the man cried.

Ignoring the sudden desire to cover her face with her hand. Trish decided to simple continue.

"Do what you were whining about earlier. Talk it out. It's better late than never."

"But... we'll just fight again, the Old Man doesn't want to talk about it."

"I doubt that Nero." She sighed.

"Look, you've been married to the guy for 15 years, so you should already know this but; Dante's possess both the subtly and the common sense of a hammer. He jumps hard and fast and doesn't think about the consequences besides those that he's trying to make happen, its why there's usually so much collateral damage when he's on big cases."

Nero's mind went back to his first memory of Dante. The man in red crashing through the roof and then shooting Sanctus in the face. It brought a smile to his face… yeah he thought. Dante and subtle are pretty much opposites.

"You can lose the grin, you're not much better." The blond commented

The smile disappeared from Nero's face to be replaced by confusion.

"You've got a better sense of when something might be stupid, but when it comes down to it, Nero, you're about as understated with your emotions as a punch to the face."

Nero wanted to sputter in protest, but the glare that Trish gave him suggest that keeping his defense of his self-control to himself would be wise.

"Hence the this evening's catastrophe, but now the whole hammer meets fist thing is over, whatever fight talking would have caused, is done, so now just talk."

"You think it will really be that simple?" He asked, sending the black clad woman a dubious look.

"It'll be what the two of you make of it. Just be calm when Dante comes back and talk it out, you should be fine." She said turning to leave.

Right as she was about to cross the threshold, Nero called out.

"Hey Trish, I was wondering… um… I need to… I know this is a lot to ask but…"

Turning to the blue clad man as she realized what he was trying to ask, she finished for him.

"You want me to explain to Cael what is going on, right? I've gathered that the two of you never told him what happened so he has no idea why Dante was so upset."

"Please…" he asked nearly breathless.

"I would do it but… I can't… I'm still angry and I'm dealing with so much else right now I'm… I'm not what he needs right now." He finished the shame evident in his voice.

"Sure" the blond responded turning to ascend the stairs.

"And, Trish…"

She turned to look at him.

"Thanks."

She nodded, continuing on up to the second floor.

DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC

**October 30****th**** 2024, Devil May Cry, 5:58 PM**

**2****nd**** Floor Bedroom (Cael's):**

It was like being there and not at the same time, he thought.

Caelum Sparda was lying on his bed, staring up as his hand with dull eyes. He felt fuzzy, like he was halfway in a dream, his hand was there but it was… not at the same time. The same with the room he thought, briefly looking around before going back to stare at his hand.

It was like his body wasn't completely there – he thought, half expecting the light from the fan on the ceiling to just up and pass through him like glass – but it wasn't just that he was numb, but doubly so; his mind was separated from his body as well, he concluded. Body a step from reality and mind a step from that. He wondered if he could just drift away like this, unfeeling and uncaring that he couldn't feel. It was nice in a way.

He felt things, but they were numb and distant. The wet sticky tracks on his cheeks for instance, he felt them, but just them… they weren't cold or irritating, just there, a light pressure that shouldn't be there but was. He didn't even know what they were, only that as far as he could remember they had always been there, but at the same time he somehow knew that they shouldn't be. But even that was barely there, barely registering. His mind felt the numbness but raised no care or alarm, as if it was always that way. Maybe it was…

It was nice, no caring or feeling… before… before the separation, before the numbness – if there was a before he amended – and its unfeeling bliss, there was … else … other … pain… he couldn't really remember, didn't want to… the numbness dulled the … other… the before time… it didn't want him to know. Whenever he tried to recall the before … it was not nice. And then the numbness would come and make it go away. So he stopped trying.

He knew enough anyway he decided, he was Cael, this was his room, his bed. Even if it felt disjointed, fuzzy or unreal it was a safe calm place, his place. He would stay here. He turned to his side.

The beyond… the door. That was unsafe, twinges of something, something that was not numbness would flare when he looked at it. And then the numb would make it go away, the not numbness, pain he guessed it would be called. Feeling he though, that was it was. Feeing was, meant pain. Unfeeling meant the floating, the not pain he felt now. So not really a choice, it was black or white, pain or not, he would choose not, anything else would be stupid. Feeling… hurt, was hurt, was bad. So the door was bad… and everything past it…

Was there anything past it? He wondered… perhaps not. He looked around the room, his room he reminded himself. Maybe this was all there was? If so that was fine, he wasn't leaving. And if not that was fine too, he wasn't leaving.

He turned to stare back at the ceiling, moving his arm. He stared at his hand, waiting for the light to go through.

DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC-DMC

**October 30****th**** 2024, Devil May Cry, 6:23 PM**

**2****nd**** Floor Bedroom (Cael's):**

Time had passed… or at least he thought it had. After a while the fan and the lights blurred into shadows and light. That took time… you couldn't have an awhile without time… or could you? Did time even really matter?

This room was all there was – at least all that was important – there was nothing here that wasn't either Cael or not Cael.

And it was only that which was Cael that cared about time, the others, the not Cael, were inanimate, not living. That was one of the few things that Cael was sure of. The things that were not Cael didn't care about time, that which was not Cael was not alive, it couldn't care. Of course he thought; in truth neither did he, Cael, truly care either.

There was a sound… the door opened… the outside…

In came … something he was not sure about… his world consisted of that which was Cael and that which was not…

This was obviously not Cael, but it was not that which was not either. That which was not was not alive… This was.

He sat up and stared at it… the other.

It was interesting he supposed… he did not feel … there was a word to describe that which one feels when they are threatened… he did not remember it … the word… but that whatever it was he did not feel it.

He was confused, though, the world was only what was and wasn't Cael. This was neither of those two things.

It was in black and had bright hair. This other that wasn't Cael but also wasn't that which was not.

The other not Cael spoke.

"Cael… are you okay?" its voice was … kind… was that what the word was?

It knew his name, so obviously it knew Cael… but Cael did not know it.

"Who are you? What are you?" he tilted his head, the head that was Cael's in curiosity as he asked.

**Author's Notes:**

**Okay let me be honest, what was written her (plus a little extra) was finished at the beginning of May. But I sort of … lost my motivation and had a lot of unfortunate crap going on in my life. I've promised over and over that once my shit got together I would start again. It just hasn't happened. I'm now in a much better situation so maybe things will pick up and become more regular.**

**As it was this was the beginning of Chapter 4: **_What a Devil Fears_. **But as you see it has a new name. Most of what would make up 4 has been moved to five which has taken the old name. And will make more of the content. As such I know that this thing is short. But I feel getting it out there might make me more motivated to complete the rest and get back in the swing of doing things. I'm also proud that I was able to split the poem so well. As you can see this chapter only has half of it, relating to Cael and the other half relates to Dante. While the Chapter title of this one is more for Nero. **

**As for the chapter itself I had a lot of fun, perhaps too much making Cael go insane. That was MUAHAHAHAH awesome. Of course it's just temporary insanity, he's just in shock. Trish will bring him back to reality… And there will be tears, sweet delicious tears a flood of them HEHEHEHEHEE! And Dante, with even more tears … with angst for extra spice. SO everything in this early sub arc, the reason that Dante's being so unreasonable will be out next chapter. There will be flashbacks too. So I guess you could call this an appetizer. After that the main story begins Mewhehehehe. Then after I've set that up I'm thinking a mini-arc with 2, 1000-2500 word Chapters covering Cael's birth. Then continuing onward towards the end.**

**This is Johannes The Egg Emperor signing off see you all with the next chapter of Silver Skies – for real this time – Chapter 5: **_What a Devil Fears._


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